Onward and Upward! How to live an uncommon life.

Shibumi: Subtle Beauty

Shibumi is a Japanese word that refers to a particular aesthetic of simple, subtle and unobtrusive beauty. It can be used to describe a person, place or thing, naturally occurring or man-made. I love to observe and photograph shibumi and below you will find a few of the more spectacular manifestations I have been privileged to witness.

Ice on my Car Hood by Gregg Hake

British Columbia Reflections by Gregg Hake

Winter Branches by Gregg Hake

Mushroom UFO by Gregg Hake

View from Above by Gregg Hake

Tree Silhouette by Gregg Hake

Endless Waves by Gregg Hake

Simple, uncomplicated beauty can be found in the most unremarkable places. You needn’t construct a marvelous temple or an impressive tower to connect with it, in fact, all you have to do is open your eyes and soften your heart to shibumi.

15 Responses

Those are beautiful pictures. It’s awesome that the Japanese have a single word for this phenomenon. You can see from the wide variety of your photos that shibumi is not a rare thing in the world. In fact, I believe it is the rule rather than the exception. All you have to do is look!

The silhouette of bare tree branches against a sky at dusk has always stirred my heart. It has made me wish I had talents in photography or painting; something to capture the beauty that I found so enthralling.I love that there is a word to describe it and the word carries the essence of the phenomenon. Now I am in love with the word as well!
Thank you for explaining one of the things that has always caused me to pause and marvel.